Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  Performance and value - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By JohansenRJ - September 29 - 5:40 pm

  Great value and comfortable car. Smooth and powerful. Great exhaust note too. Not a soulless Japanese import, this vehicle has character. Cant get the V8 performance, OnStar, or fun factor on a Camry or Accord. The downside is the fuel economy (the ratings are a joke, 16 city, 24 highway is more realistic)

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  The perfect car - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By todd stokes - September 29 - 4:00 pm

  The impala is the best car on the market. The impala has head room,leg room,lots of trunk room. I can get in and out of this car with ease no falling out on the ground to get out. It has a great ride easy handling lots of power. It is a great family car for someone also. For the money you can not go wrong with the impala.

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  Dont buy first year - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By KRH - September 29 - 10:00 am

  I ordered this truck new and purchased it based on the new GM design however the build quality is poor and I have already replaced the transmission and ABS system, had brake problems part of my dash lights are out. The dealer service stunk where I purchased the truck. I service ever 3000 miles since this truck is driven all over the Southeast. Sent GM letter about problems never heard back from them.

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  DBatmobile - 2002 Chevrolet Impala
  By dyoung1 - September 29 - 10:00 am

  This car is comfortable, though a bit noisy, with most controls easy to use and reach. Leather seats provide good support with adjustable lumbar and they are toasty in the winter with the seat heaters. The car has a very smooth powertrain with excellent low end grunt and pleanty of passing power with the 3.8L engine. It gets excellent gas mileage at about 30-31 on trips. The handling dynamics are so-so, it requires attention to track, especially on the twisty roads. It holds all our stuff for those long vacations, but is still easy to park. The only problem in 10k miles was a leak in the gas tank filler neck that required replacement of the tank - under warranty.

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  Excellent Suv - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By tperez - September 29 - 10:00 am

  My experience with this suv is been great better than prevouis model i give a 5 star.

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  Do not buy! - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By chevy_3948 - September 29 - 6:40 am

  I bought the car June 30 2006, I was so excited to get it, I traded my 2006 VW Jetta 2.5 for it. The day I bought it, it went in to the shop for the first time with me found out later it had been in the shop previous to me buying it. It has had probably almost $10,000 in work done to it. It has had and O2 sensor, PCM, 6 radios, HVAC controls, 3 valve cover gaskets, pass. window switch, Supercharger, tranny, clutch, drivers side drive axle, interior trim pieces from peeling, exterior temp sensor, rear bowtie, the rims are corroding and Im sure there is more I lost track though.

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  Much Better Than Expected - 2015 Chevrolet Volt
  By Ricky Moore - September 28 - 11:41 am

  First US - Build car since 1987. Great ride, very comfortable, good vision just a little tight vision from the rear like most cars, mirrors take care of that problem. Smooth shifting, no interior noise , very quick acceleration and braking. Handles well and sticks to the road, very predictable where its heading. Instrumentation is logical and easy to reach while driving. Could use additional glovebox./storage. Rear seating may be a little tight for larger adults, front seats have massive room and great headroom.

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  owner - 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By overhill - September 28 - 10:10 am

  good truck but box cover leaks and fades in the sun

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  Great Truck.....I Hope - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By rebecca - September 28 - 7:19 am

  I have had my truck for 8 months now. I have 21,000 miles on it. I have not had any problems until these past couple of days. When I turn right I hear a noise under my bed I took it to a dealership Today they said it was my spare tire wasnt tightened. Got it back still making the noise. Im taking it back tomorrow to hopefully fix the noise and also I have a recall on it that is going to take 3 hours to fix. Other than that I love my truck. Im a mom with 2 little girls 5 and 6 and they love my truck too. Not alot of room in the front but alot in the back. My truck got up to 29 mpg. Average is 25mpg. I got heated seats with my truck. They suck. They dont get hot. I really have no complaints except this noise its making now. I hope they get it fixed soon.

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  Repairs, more repairs, and more repairs - 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Parnelli - September 28 - 2:00 am

  We purchased this white 95 four door in August of 1999 when it had only 20,000 miles on it. We now have 74,000 miles on the car. Weve replaced the head gasket ($650), water pump ($100), wheel speed sensor ($150?), air conditioning compressor ($450) and it needs to be replaced AGAIN (The condensor is bad, TOO.) The bottoms of the inside of two of the four doors have not rusted through ONLY because of the sanding, scraping, priming, etc. that I do yearly. The car goes on sale in three days!!